Only 16th place on Friday: Francesco Bagnaia explains why he struggled at Mandalika on Friday, but still isn’t worried
For Francesco Bagnaia, a MotoGP Friday did not end with direct Q2 entry for the first time since Jerez. The Ducati rider failed to go beyond 16th in the afternoon practice session at Mandalika and will have to compete in Q1 tomorrow.
Bagnaia was repeatedly seen off track in practice and failed to produce a clean lap in the final attack. This was compounded by yellow flags due to late crashes that disrupted the riding. In the end, the Italian was 1.161 seconds off the day’s fastest rider, Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro.
“I honestly didn’t expect not to make it to Q2 today,” admitted Bagnaia, enthused, “My feeling with the bike is finally back. “
Electronics causing Bagnaia problems
“I feel incredible, I can brake very hard, the corner speed is amazing. The grip level is good compared to the last three or four races. In that respect I was happy. But unfortunately we lost something in the area of electronics. It didn’t work as expected today,” he explains.
“Maybe it’s because the tyres are different, the track surface is different. There can be several reasons why I struggled. Normally our bike is very smooth in acceleration, very smooth on the brakes.”
On Friday, however, the rear felt “very aggressive”, Bagnaia describes. “I kept losing control of the rear wheel where I didn’t expect it – even during my time attack. It was strange. “
Drop out on last lap costs Q2 entry
Late drama for @PeccoBagnaia at T15!
The reigning World Champion made a costly mistake while chasing a top-10 spot ⚠️IndonesianGP pic. twitter.com/gs74Amnngp
– MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) October 13, 2023
“But I’m glad the problem came from the electronics. It’s not really a problem, we just need to adjust it better. I’m convinced it’s easier to fix than if the problem came from the set-up,” said the Italian.
In Q1 tomorrow, it will be a matter of securing one of the two top positions for him in order to subsequently move into Q2. The extra session will mean he will have one less soft tyre – should he progress – in order to place himself as far up the grid as possible.
“It’s true that you have to use more tyres,” said Bagnaia. “The best thing would be if I manage a good time in the first attempt. That would save me a tyre. But if that doesn’t work out, we have to adapt. If I need two tyres in Q1, I’ll only have one for Q2,” he holds.
“It will definitely be interesting. The racing line is very narrow here and it’s quite dirty next to it. So starting from further back could be a problem. Overtaking is not easy here anyway, and even more difficult in these conditions. So it will be important to start from the front.”
His world championship rival Jorge Martin moved straight into Q2 on Friday. Bagnaia’s failure did not escape him: “I noticed it. It’s quite unusual for him.”
“But I think he will still make it. Of course, he will have one tyre less. That is definitely a disadvantage. That’s why it was important for us to move on directly. This way we can fully concentrate on the race in the third practice. “
Martin: “He will surely make it “
But the World Champion remains confident. In Jerez I was also in Q1,” he recalls of the Spanish Grand Prix, “and in the end we won the race. So I’m not too worried, especially as I know exactly what we need to change. “
